2012/2013 Prospects Thread

Horak has been playing on the wing more. He has a nice skill set, he could be any where from a 3rd to 2nd line player, he will be an NHL'er though. As a center, I agree that his ceiling is probably that of around a very good 3rd line player. But I think it is to early to accurately predict how he will pan out and alot has to do with our organizational depth as well. At this point, I think he has a better chance of playing in the top 6 as a winger down the road.

Granlund is a little harder to read. Many of us on here do not get to see him a lot and he plays on a poor team. I actually quite like what I've seen from Granlund, I just think he needs to continue to work on his skating and a few other things. I also agree, I think he will either be top 6 or bust but I think he is very under appreciated as a prospect largely in part to his brother.

Baerstchi spoke with Pat Steinberg on the FAN960 this afternoon. He said he feels 100% but still needs to get back into the rhythm with more team pratices. He's a gametime decision for tommorow's game.

Would love to see Sven back into the lineup but I really hope they don't rush him.

Baerstchi spoke with Pat Steinberg on the FAN960 this afternoon. He said he feels 100% but still needs to get back into the rhythm with more team pratices. He's a gametime decision for tommorow's game.

Would love to see Sven back into the lineup but I really hope they don't rush him.

Anyone have an update on Jankowski? I thought he would have returned to the lineup after the holidays? Noticed he didn't dress last game... Maybe his hip injury is more serious than originally thought?

The Flames have been extra cautious with Sven and for good reason. They will not rush him back until they are sure he's 100% ready. Sven feels good, and Ward said he looked sharp in practice, but they are just making sure first they are no set backs after he's got a couple of practices in. He's been medically cleared to play, if he has no further symptoms after these last couple practices then he'll be playing in the Heat's next game.

If Markus didn't have Mikael as his brother, he would be getting far more hype this tournament. 12 points in the WJ's is dam impressive no matter how you look at it.

Yeah I agree with you, he gets a little overshadowed by his brother. At the same time, (and this is just my opinion, I have only seen him play maybe 10 times) I find him a little one dimensional, and while he is very skilled offensively he isn't really "elite" at anything. I think he has the skill to be a 2nd line winger, I feel like his lack of a well rounded game might keep him from becoming one at the NHL level though.

I've seen him play maybe 7-8 times and I agree, he's not elite at anything but I'd say his offensive skillset is very good. He's more than capable of generating offence on his own, he's a good finisher, he has good vision and has above average hands. His skating is average, and his size isn't great either but he does work hard.

The difference IMO between him and Gaudreau is that JG's hockey sense and skill is off the charts, whereas MG is very good in those areas. Granlund does have the potential to be a 2nd line player, but I agree that's his ceiling and he's no guarantee to make it, but he is still a very good prospect and he should get more props.

I've seen him play maybe 7-8 times and I agree, he's not elite at anything but I'd say his offensive skillset is very good. He's more than capable of generating offence on his own, he's a good finisher, he has good vision and has above average hands. His skating is average, and his size isn't great either but he does work hard.

The difference IMO between him and Gaudreau is that JG's hockey sense and skill is off the charts, whereas MG is very good in those areas. Granlund does have the potential to be a 2nd line player, but I agree that's his ceiling and he's no guarantee to make it, but he is still a very good prospect and he should get more props.

Nice assessment.

I think it's important to note he's also playing in a mens league. He just saw him dominate against the best U20's. (his age). I have a feeling the tournament will induce confidence, and we will see his numbers start to go up...

I remember being very disappointed after watching him at the Flames development camp this August... Hopefully he this will be a defining turning point in the right direction.

As nice as his offensive production is in this tournament has been, you simply can't over look the fact that 7 of his 12 points came during their two relegation game victories.

With that said he was still leading their team in goals and tied with Armia for most points during round robin play, so his performance was as solid as you could hope for considering the monumental failure that was team Finland this year.

He is one of those players that I don't know how to evaluate. I have seen him play close to 10-12 times now, and I can't wrap my head around him as a prospect.

Con's
Adequate skater that lacks separation speed
Lacks strength, specifically in one on one battles.
His compete level on the defensive end of the rink is not where it needs to be.

If and when he makes his way over to North America is when I believe we will all get a good understanding of where he stands as an NHL prospect. I think he has the smarts and the offensive ability to be a productive player over here, but I am not sure he has the will or the work ethic to overcome his deficiencies in order to reach his full potential.

As nice as his offensive production is in this tournament has been, you simply can't over look the fact that 7 of his 12 points came during their two relegation game victories.

With that said he was still leading their team in goals and tied with Armia for most points during round robin play, so his performance was as solid as you could hope for considering the monumental failure that was team Finland this year.

He is one of those players that I don't know how to evaluate. I have seen him play close to 10-12 times now, and I can't wrap my head around him as a prospect.

Con's
Adequate skater that lacks separation speed
Lacks strength, specifically in one on one battles.
His compete level on the defensive end of the rink is not where it needs to be.

If and when he makes his way over to North America is when I believe we will all get a good understanding of where he stands as an NHL prospect. I think he has the smarts and the offensive ability to be a productive player over here, but I am not sure he has the will or the work ethic to overcome his deficiencies in order to reach his full potential.

Just to touch on those 2 points, as you mentioned Finland as a team was playing poorly in the first 3 games of the tournament and Granlund along with TT was one of their top players, so that's somewhat encouraging to me. Finland was a disappointment this year, but they do have some really special talents on that team and Granlund was probably their 3rd best forward overall.

To your last point, I'm really hoping seeing his brother have success over here provides him with further motivation to succeed and hopefully come to NA. Granlund isn't going to make or break our prospect pool, but he could be a nice addition and hopefully productive player for the Flames one day.

His compete level on the defensive end of the rink is not where it needs to be.

Just from this little line I know that you really haven't watched Granlund that often. Granlund is fairly good in the defensive zone is is pretty tenacious with his stick. I would say that his positioning may sometime not be the best but he is by far no sloucher when it comes to his compete level. There is a very good reason why Granlund plays the PK, Ask people who follow the team. They will not be shy to tell you polity of course that your assessment may need some slight rethinking. I am not a person who usually likes disagreeing, but i could not agree with that statement.

Just from this little line I know that you really haven't watched Granlund that often. Granlund is fairly good in the defensive zone is is pretty tenacious with his stick. I would say that his positioning may sometime not be the best but he is by far no sloucher when it comes to his compete level. There is a very good reason why Granlund plays the PK, Ask people who follow the team. They will not be shy to tell you polity of course that your assessment may need some slight rethinking. I am not a person who usually likes disagreeing, but i could not agree with that statement.

I seriously dislike when people make this silly statement. I mentioned that I have seen him play close to 10-12 times now (all of which have come during the previous two WJC's). Do you just assume I am lying because you don't agree with me?

From what I have seen, Granlund looks disinterested at times when he does not have the puck. In saying that, this is also a very common trait for younger players and is an aspect of the game that can be easily improved upon if that specific player is willing to put in the required effort. I also never said that he was an awful defensive player, but it certainly appears to me that he can be far more effective if he put in a greater effort. He does after all player the most important forward position (at times), and should take that responsibility seriously.